Five SS-rank magic stones were neatly lined up on the table. Though mostly white, each had a slightly different hue and varied slightly in size.
"Ahjussi, me too! Next time, leave it to me!"
Yerim fiddled with a bluish magic stone as she spoke. There shouldn't be a next time.It's better if SS-rank monsters don't randomly pop out of dungeons.
"I'd like to experience it too. Is it possible, Guild Leader Han? I'm still far from thirty."
"Of course, it's possible for you too, Hyuna."
"Guild Leader Seong, you're too old. Doesn't that skill only work based on appearance age? If you changed your style like Hyeonjae, it might work."
Moon Hyuna giggled as she spoke. If he dressed casually and changed his hairstyle… Hmm, I wouldn't mind seeing that.
"If it's just an age restriction, there's nothing we can do."
Seong Hyeonjae looked at me with regret, as if asking if there were any other limitations besides age.
"What can we do about human age? If you were in your twenties, Hyeonjae, it would've been possible. I'm disappointed too."
As I answered, I tried calming down *Chirpie*, who had been making a fuss.
- *Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!*
"Chirpie, no. Calm down. You can't swallow that alone anyway."
The little bird flapped its wings wildly in my grip. It had been fine after eating the jellyfish's magic stone, so an SS-rank one probably wouldn't hurt it… but it was better to be careful. Besides, sorry Chirpie, but your dad isn't rich enough to feed you SS-rank stones at will. Your uncle worked hard to get those.
"I'll give you an S-rank one later."
- Chirp chirp chirp!
"Aigoo, I know. You're upset. I'm sorry."
As Chirpie kept crying, Bellare didn't know what to do and dragged over a magic stone with its body.
- Shiit, shwik!
- *Chirp chirp!*
Oh my god, so cute.They really got along well. What should I do about Bellare Lieret? Should I say raising it failed and just pay compensation? Since Chirpie couldn't eat it anyway, I released it, and the little bird hugged the stone Bellare brought with its wings, chirping loudly. It looked at me as if asking me to break it, but no, Chirpie.
"Are you planning to turn all of these into equipment?"
Myeong-woo, who had been examining the stones, spoke up.
"Yeah. That seems like the best option. And there are five of us, after all."
Though Yoohyun contributed the most, the others helped a lot too. And I could always compensate Yoohyun separately with the points I'd saved. Myeong-woo let out a short sigh at my words.
"You're excluding yourself, huh?"
"No, I-"
"Because you're F-rank and don't need it, right?"
"…Haven't I already received enough favors to last me a decade? Also, I just got a new S-rank weapon."
Though who knows when the newbie will take it back.Myeong-woo reluctantly took the stones, grumbling. Chirpie, who had been hugging one, protested loudly as it was taken away.
"I'll confirm the stone's properties before distributing them. Discuss among yourselves who gets what. Of course, you'll have to cover the material and crafting costs."
"Am I going into debt again? Can I pay in installments?"
At Yerim's words, Myeong-woo glanced at me before answering.
"I'll give you a discount. You're reliable, Park Yerim. Noah, you too."
"I'm fine. I still have enough money."
"Save when you can. You don't even like entering dungeons much."
Noah nodded shyly.
"Yeah. But even if it's not dungeon raids, there are other small jobs."
"Noah, don't tell me you're doing part-time work?"
I should've taken better care of her!* Noah shook her head.
"Not exactly. I get offers—things like advertisements, not just Hunter-related stuff."
"If there's a good ad offer, take it. You'd look amazing no matter what you do."
The screen would light up. I still regretted her turning down that jewelry photoshoot. Yoohyun didn't like filming ads either, and Yerim decided to wait until after the Japan incident to pick something that suited her rising popularity.
"Don't you get a lot of offers too, Yujin?"
"Mostly for leg-related stuff. They usually want me to appear with my kids, but I'm hesitant to bring baby monsters to shoots."
It was better to avoid crowded places full of non-Awakened.
"Oh right, Ahjussi! The kids keep asking you to upload more videos! Why not make a channel?"
"Huh? A channel?"
"Like internet broadcasting."
"Park Yerim, don't annoy him."
"I was just asking!"
*Internet broadcasting?* Like individuals filming and uploading? Since dungeon filming became possible, some mid-to-low-rank Hunters gained popularity that way. High-rank Hunters usually had professional broadcasts, and some became globally famous. I even had a favorite Hunter.
"Should we head to the smithy? When are we leaving?"
"Right now? At the earliest, tomorrow afternoon—I still have things to wrap up."
"The longer magic stones are left out, the harder it is to identify their properties. Unless specially preserved, their original traits fade over time. Using them as pure energy sources is fine, but for equipment, fresher is better."
*I'd never heard that before.* He sounded so professional. Cool.
"There might be toxicity or curses involved. Want to help?"
"Of course, I'll assist."
Noah stood up as she answered.
"I have resistance skills too."
"Yujin, you should rest. And Eunhye's flames aren't ordinary heat. You could get frostbite."
With that, Myeong-woo disappeared into the smithy with Noah.
"You should get some sleep, Hyung."
Yoohyun, sitting next to me, spoke up. He'd been urging me to rest since we arrived at the hotel, but I didn't feel like it. If I slept now, I'd probably have nightmares.
"I'm not that sleepy yet. Aren't *you* tired?"
"I already rested. I won't be able to sleep now anyway."
True, he's still on edge. It wasn't like right after a dungeon raid where he'd fought monsters for days, but he'd faced an SS-rank monster and then S-rank Hunters. Unless his stamina was severely drained like in Hong Kong or Acates, falling asleep would be hard.
'Should I try the skill I bought with points?'
It was cheap for its rank and seemed useful, so I'd bought it before arriving at Medsang. I opened the skill window to check the two new additions:
[Pat-Pat (B) - Calms the target by patting their back. Effectiveness increases with the target's trust and affection toward the user.**
May have reverse effects if the target dislikes the user.]**
[Lullaby (A) - Puts the target to sleep through soothing actions. Effectiveness increases with the target's trust and affection toward the user.**
Sleep recovery +20%, slight growth activation.**
May have reverse effects if the target dislikes the user.]**
I bought these for monsters, but nothing says they can't work on people.*
"Yoohyun, come here."
I pulled my brother into a hug and patted his back. Yerim and Hyuna both made faces at the same time.
"Our Yoohyun, good boy. It's late, time to sleep."
"Hyung, what are you—?"
His blinking slowed as he looked at me in confusion. *Oh, he's getting drowsy.*
"…Hyung."
"Yeah, it's okay. Sleep."
[The title 'Perfect Caregiver' enhances skill effects on keyword-applicable targets!]
Must be because it's a nurturing skill.* The title boosted it, and Yoohyun's eyes closed completely. He leaned his head against me, his body relaxing as his breathing steadied.
"Wow, Ahjussi! What was that?"
"Is he really asleep? Han Yoohyun? Here? Seriously?"
"A skill? I never thought I'd see the young master sleep so defenselessly. Amazing."
All three were shocked, but Yoohyun didn't stir. Normally, he'd wake up immediately—he must be really out.
"Yeah, it's a skill. It works better with trust and affection, but I didn't expect it to be *this* effective."
"Trust and affection? Of course it worked instantly. It's *Han Yoohyun* we're talking about. You could carry him away, and he wouldn't notice."
"Aigoo!" Yerim jumped up from her seat. Even as she approached, Yoohyun stayed fast asleep.
"I'll take him to his room, Ahjussi! Is that okay? He's too heavy for you anyway. Just this once!"
"Uh… sure."
*It's not like I can't carry him, but if Yerim wants to help, why refuse?* Excited, Yerim effortlessly lifted Yoohyun. I worried about his legs or clothes dragging, but she made him float slightly to avoid touching the ground.
"Unnie! Phone! Quick!"
"Got it, got it!"
"Take pictures and video too!"
"Already filming. Wow, our Yerim looks cool~"
"Guild Leader Han Yoohyun of Haeyeon Guild—knocked out in my arms!"
"…Don't leak it. You too, Hyuna."
"Can't I post just *one*?"
"No."
Despite the noise, Yoohyun remained deeply asleep. *This skill is too good.* Did using both at once amplify the effect? I'd have to be careful.
Yerim carried Yoohyun toward the stairs instead of the elevator, with Hyuna following, filming on her phone.
Once the three were gone, it suddenly became quiet. Only Chirpie's chirping could be heard.
"Putting the kids to sleep will be easier now. Peace, want me to tuck you in?"
- *Kheung.*
Peace, now sitting on Yoohyun's vacated chair, shook its head. It acted like it understood.
"I don't want to sleep yet. Can't you just tell me the list in advance? How'd you figure it all out so fast?"
"I used a method that wouldn't work on *you*, Han Yujin."
"Still bothered that you can't read me? I *said* I'd tell you."
I got up, asking if he wanted a drink. The lounge was empty, but self-serve drinks and snacks were available. Peace trotted after me.
"How about apple juice? Or grape? Tea and coffee are too much hassle. If you don't answer, I'll get you water."
"Same as you."
"Suddenly craving water."
I poured apple juice into two glasses. As I set them down, Seong Hyeonjae stood up. He walked around the table and approached silently, making me instinctively step back. Peace growled softly. Chirpie and Bellare, who had been poking at the juice glasses, watched us.
"What?"
"Your right leg."
"It's fine."
"You're walking carefully to pretend it's fine."
*…Damn it.* *How is he this sharp?* Even Yoohyun and the others hadn't noticed.
"I'm just tired, *tired*. There's no injury. See for yourself if you don't believe me."
I lifted my leg onto the chair and rolled up my pant leg. *See? Not a single scar.*
"Satisfied?"
Hyeonjae frowned slightly at my confident tone.
"This frustrating feeling is nostalgic."
"The fact that it's *nostalgic* is more surprising. Means it's happened before. You don't seem the type to tolerate frustration."
"There was Chief Song."
"Ah."
*Fair.* Our Chief Song was the best at that.
"Still, I'm better than Chief Song, right? At least I'm *trying* to change. Chief Song doesn't even know what to do. If I can just get the baby sheep into my arms, maybe there'll be an opening."
Hyeonjae reached out and pulled my pant leg back down. Then he went to the self-serve bar and poured a glass of milk. When he handed it to me, it was somehow warm.
"I feel like a five-year-old."
"A five-year-old would at least listen better."
"Ever heard of the 'terrible twos'? Our Yoohyun was well-behaved, though."
I grumbled but drank the milk quietly. It'd be rude to refuse after he went through the trouble. I might as well go up and rest.
"At this rate, I might have to ask the young master to take care of you again. You need rest."
"Is your house a hotel or something?"
"I've never let anyone *but* you stay over. Even outsiders rarely visit. The young master came once, and Chief Song a few times."
"Stop bullying Chief Song."
"He's the one who comes to bother *me*. If he visits outside work hours, that's on him."
*Outside work hours?* Just hearing that hurt. Awakened and dungeon issues don't follow a schedule, so if something came up, Chief Song would have to go to Hyeonjae's house even after hours. *Wasn't that kneeling incident at his home?* Ugh, I might cry.
"I'm going to bed, *bed*. Thanks for the milk."
"You're welcome."
"My leg really is fine."
"Shut up. No one else would notice anyway."
*His perceptiveness is annoying but also kind of comforting.*
**BOOM!**
Then, an explosion sounded from upstairs. *Ah, Yoohyun's awake.* Did they not let him sleep and mess with him instead? I should go calm him down.